Otay River Estuary Restoration

Butier Engineering, Inc. provided construction management, inspection QA/QC, cost estimating/review, and schedule review services for the Otay River Estuary Restoration project. The purpose of the project was to restore approximately 125 acres of open water, coastal wetland, and salt marsh habitats within the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, benefiting native fish, migratory birds, and other coastal-dependent species.

The project provided the following benefits to the local environment:

• Restored intertidal wetland habitat and supports emergent salt marsh vegetation by replenishing the salt ponds with an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 cubic yards of soil.
• Created new foraging, nesting, and breeding habitat for colonial nesting seabirds, migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, and salt marsh-dependent species by widening and enhancing the habitat area.
• Protects and preserves endangered wildlife species, including light-footed Ridgeway’s rail (Rallus obsoletus levipes), California least tern (Sternula antillarum browni), and salt marsh bird’s-beak (Chloropyron maritimum).
• Improved the habitat for threatened wildlife species, including western snowy plover (Pacific Coast population Distinct Population Segment) (Charadrius nivosus nivosus), East Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas), and California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica).